Means for construction of collapsible railings

ABSTRACT

MEANS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF BARRICADES, ROAD BARRIERS ETC., IN WHICH A PLURALITY OF IDENTICAL MEMBERS MAY BE ASSEMBLED TO SUPPORTS AND RAILS AS DESIRED.   D R A W I N G

Feb. 13, 1973 b. 'S NNE 3,716,218

MEANS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF COLLAPSIBLE RAILINGS Filed" March 9. 1971' 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 13, 1973 o, SANNE 7 3,716,218

MEANS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF COLLAPSIBLE RAILINGS Filed March 9, 1971 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 13, 1973 o. SANNE 3,715,218

MEANS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF COLLAPSIBLE RAILINGS Filed March 9, 1971 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 United States Patent O Int. Cl. Etllf 13/00 US. Cl. 256-64 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Means for the construction of barricades, road barriers etc., in which a plurality of identical members may be assembled to supports and rails as desired.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to means for the construction of collapsible and provisional barricades and barriers for marking, warning, blocking of roads and similar purposes.

Previously known means and components for the construction of barricades or railings of this type comprise collapsible supports and long rails which cannot be divided into short lengths, in order to simplify transport of the equipment. It is also previously known to use collapsible trestles or trestles assembled from a rail having separate pairs of legs attached to the ends of the rail by means of sleeves or having slots or other means for attachement of the legs to the rail. Equipment of these kinds comprises at least two different components which are diflicult to stack together as a compact package for easy transport thereof, and the equipment is also complicated to use and expensive in manufacture due to the number of components required. It is also previously known to use supports made from a number of tubes or bars hinged together to a rail as pivotable legs which may be swung outwards to a supporting position. A rail or barrier of this kind is space-saving in the collapsed condition, but is, on the other hand, fairly expensive to manufacture.

In spite of the fact that a plurality of embodiments for warning, marking or blocking have been constructed with a view to make the equipment collapsible and easy to transport, none of the existing embodiments satisfies the requirements which apply to equipment of this kind in so far as simple assembly and disassembly is concerned, together with easy handling and saving of space to such an extent that the equipment can be carried in cars without damage to the interior of the car. There is further a requirement that the railing should be assembled from components which are as similar as possible and that the components can be assembled to various forms for warning, marking and blocking railing of the desired length.

Equipment having the above advantages and properties will consequently be substantially easier to handle and transport than conventional equipment. Transport of previously known equipment has caused great problems and is expensive due to the fact that the equipment has to be transported on trucks or other large vehicles. Up to the present time, it has not been possible to carry conventional supports and the rail in emergency cars belonging to the police or road maintenance personnel. For this reason components for provisional railings may not have been used to a desired extent in emergencies and human lives have, in many instances, been endangered.

Hence, there is a demand for equipment which is space saving and easy to erect for instantaneous use, for example after accidents on roads with heavy traffic.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the invention is to provide equipment fulfilling these requirements, by making the components similar, with each component being formed as an elongate body having a rectangular cross section and a slot at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the body or member, located at an end of the body, the slot having a shape which permits the insertion of a corresponding member. Any number of components can be assembled as trestles or road barriers for warning, marking or blocking purposes.

Equipment comprising similar components can be stacked together in a very compact manner and can be placed anywhere in a vehicle, with the components having a fairly short length.

The characteristic features of the invention will be evident from the claims and the invention will be described more in detail below, with reference to the drawings in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGS. 1 and 2 are views of components assembled to a trestle, shown as an end view and a side view, respectively,

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a component with a connecting piece for connection to an adjoining component, and

FIG. 4 is a side view of a railing or barrier assembled from components by means of connecting pieces.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Components 1, which are similar in FIGS. 1 and 2, are used for the construction of a road barrier and are formed as elongate bodies having a rectangular cross section with a slot or through opening 2 adjacent portion 3 and the slot is to one end at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the component. The end portion 3 is preferably of a reduced cross section in relation to the rest of the component and the reduced portion is adapted to enter into the slot 2 of another component. In FIG. 1, two components 1 are assembled so that the slots 2 are in alignment while the reduced portion of a third component 1 is inserted in the two slots 2. The three components form a three-legged trestle which may be used as a warning sign or marking, for example, for a hole or another local obstacle in a road or street. The components may, of course, be painted in the accepted colors which are used in connection with warning and marking equipment in various countries. Each component may also have a single color and the railing or barrier can then be constructed from alternating components having contrasting colors. In FIG. 2, the components are assembled to provide a four-legged trestle, with the pairs of legs being constituted by two components having their slots 2 in alignment as shown on FIG. 1, and the pairs of components being positioned on each end of a barrier or rail 4 which also is assembled from components 1. The slots 2 have a length which is greater than the greatest dimension of the components so that the components forming the legs may be positioned obliquely to the longitudinal direction of the trail or barrier, with such support being more stable when the pairs of legs are inclined in opposite directions.

If it is desirable to encircle a large area, the components 1 may be assembled as long rails which may be provided with supporting legs formed by similar components, with every second leg being inclined in the same direction and the intermediate legs in the other direction. When the rail or barrier also is provided with a pair of supporting legs as shown in 'FIG. 1 at each end, the construction of a very long railing or barrier provided with supporting legs at spaced intervals is a simple matter.

The components 1 having a reduced end portion 3 as disclosed above, may be made in one piece and provided with a space 5 at the other end, so that the components as explained above may be joined together to a long rail by inserting the reduced portion 3 in the space 5. The components may, however, also be made as shown in FIG. 3 with a separate connecting piece 6 provided with inclined slots 7 corresponding to the slots 2 in the component 1 of FIG. 1, and a component 1 may have a rectangular hollow cross section having open ends which, with a connecting piece 6 in place, will form a component for connection to a corresponding component when a rail or barrier is to be made as shown on FIG. 4.

The connecting pieces can advantageously be provided with a central flange 8 to ensure that only one half of the connecting piece is inserted in the end of the component 1.

The component 1 shown in the drawing has oblique ends so that the components, when assembled and correctly orientated relative to each other, will have end faces which will rest parallel to the ground as shown in FIG. 1, when the end is resting on the ground. This feature is, however, not necessary and an advantageous embodiment of the components will comprise a pipe or sleeve of plastic with a rectangular cross section and ends cut at a right angle. The reduced portion 3 will be a connecting piece having a rectangular cross section fitting into the end of the pipe or sleeve, while the connecting piece is provided with an oblique slot in the portion projecting from the sleeve. A condition is, however, that the connecting piece and the sleeve are so dimensioned that they fit closely together due to friction between abutting faces.

If the component 1 as shown in FIG. 3 is provided with an oblique slot 2, the slot has to be so positioned that it can be brought into the alignment with the oblique slot 7 of the connecting piece which is inserted into the component 1. A component or a railing may then be inserted in the aligned slots and thus form a right angle to the first mentioned rail or barrier.

By means of the components 1 which are similar, it is possible to construct simple or complicated trestles, road barriers, railing etc. for the marking of a local point and for encircling or marking a large area. The component may be stacked or stored in a compact manner and will, particularly when they are made of plastic, be very light and easy to handle and the interior of cars or vans will not be damaged during transport. The components may be standard equipment in all emergency cars belonging to the police and road maintenance personnel so that warning, marking or blocking can be made immediately when necessary.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. Means for the erection of collapsible provisional barricades for warning, marking or blocking of roads and other purposes, comprising a plurality of components, each component being defined by an elongate body having opposite end portions, one end portion of the component being provided with an opening extending entirely through said one end portion and being disposed at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the said body, and the through opening having a shape and dimensions permitting the insertion of an end portion of another of said components, the shape and dimensions of the through opening being such as to allow limited relative movement between the opening and the end portion of said another component.

2. The means as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the connecting piece intermediate its ends is provided with a flange to ensure insertion of only one half of the connecting piece in a tubular member.

3. Means for the erection of collapsible provisional barricades for warning, marking or blocking of roads and other purposes, comprising a plurality of components, each components being defined by an elongate body having opposite end portions, one end portion of the component being provided with an opening extending entirely through said one end portion and being disposed at an angle to the longitudinal axis of said body, and the through opening having a shape and dimensions permitting the insertion of an end portion of another of said components, the end portion of the component having the through opening, being of a reduced cross-section, the other end being provided with an opening having the same shape and dimensions as the reduced end portion.

4. Means for the erection of collapsible provisional barricades for warning, marking or blocking of roads and other purposes, comprising a plurality of components, each component being defined by an elongate body having opposite end portions, one end portion of the component being provided with a slot extending at an angle through the longitudinal axis of the said body, and the slots having a shape and dimensions permitting the insertion of an end portion of another of said components, each elongate body being a tubular member having a rectangular cross-section and a reduced portion being defined by a connecting piece having a rectangular cross-section fitting into the end portions of the tubular members, with the connecting piece being provided with an oblique slot in at least one end portion thereof.

5. The means as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the oblique slot in the connecting piece and the tubular members have the same inclination.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 418,938 1/1890 Bogusch et al 182-181 X 2,244,963 6/ 1941 Poll 182224 2,855,183 10/1958 Moore 25664 X 3,089,682 5/1963 Parker 256-64 FOREIGN PATENTS 123,942 2/1949 Sweden 182-224 DENNIS L. TAYLOR, Primary Examiner 

